Method of and apparatus for treating shoes



1,647,277 N 1927- R. DAVIS METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHOESFiled Dec. 27, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J L l J 11 I I j5 i I 15 1 1, 1 :57i 1 1 I I cqEirfi-c 51 L. -J

1 647 277 NOV. 1, 1927. R- DAVIS s METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATINGSHOES Filed Dec. 7. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5

W VEW T04 Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BOSWELL DAVIS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOEMACHIN- EBY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHOES.

Application filed December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,365.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for treating shoesand more espeorally to drying certain portions thereof. In themanufacture and repairing of leather-soled shoes it is customary tomoisten the soles so as to temper them prior to attaching them and evenprior to channeling them and otherwise preparing them for the attachingoperation. These operations and certain others may be. performed bestwhen the sole is abnormally soft and pliant. In the manufacture of newshoes the total period of time during which it is desirable to maintainthe soles in a moist condition varies from five to ten days, althoughsometimes it is even longer, and manufacturers purposely prolong thisperiod, if necessary, by covering the soles or the shoes to which theyhave been attachedduring the intervals between successive operations.However, when the shoe has reached that stage of completion when it isdesired to buff the bottom of the sole the presence of moisture in thesole is objectionable because if the leather is damp, even slightly,when it is buffed it fills the interstices of the sand paper or otherabrading material used for buifin The consequences in. such case are soob ectionable that manufacturers do not attem t to buff the soles unlessand until their bottoms are as dry as it is possiihle to make them. Forexample, a sole may seem quite dry to the touch of the average personand still not be dry enough for a satisfactory bufiing o eration, andnone but the most expert bu ng operators can determine by the sense oftouch whether a sole is dry enough for the buffing operation. Naturalevaporation, even when the climate is relatively dry, requires severaldays to condition the sole after the average person would consider thesole dry, and even under the most favorable conditions of naturaldl'ying the period required for completing the shoe is prolongedaccordingly. Economy of manufacture requires that the various operationsbe performed without delay, a very considerable item in this respectbeing that the lasts should be released for rc-use instead of remainingidle and requiring an excessively large stock of lasts to keep thefactories supplied with shoes in the process of construction.

In view of the conditions above outlined an object of this invention isto provide an improved method of, and improved apparatus for, drying thebottoms of shoe-soles in a relatively short space of time so that thebufiing operation need not be postponed after the shoes are otherwiseready to undergo that operation. Although the buffing operation may beperformed passably well when the bottom of the sole is quite dry and ina normal condition it has been found that said operation and the resultmay both be improved by toasting the bottom so as to render the surfaceabnormall hard and friable, and accordingly a fort er object of theinvention is to provide an improved treating apparatus adapted to bringabout such condition in addition to drying the bottom of the sole. It isnot necessary to dry the sole throughout its entire thickness, theprincipal consideration being to dry it to the depth reached by theabrading material used for bufling. Therefore, in toasting the bottom itis quite sufficient to toast it only to the depth above specified.

It has been proposed heretofore to condition the bottoms of the solesfor buffing by placing the shoes over a heater of one type or another soas to dry them by radiant heat alone, but apparatus that treat the shoesaccording to this principle are wasteful of heat, relatively slow inbringing about the necessary degree of dr ness, and subject the shoes tothe danger 0 being seriously-injured by excessive heat.

The present invention provides an apparatus comprising as hereinillustrated means forming a substantially closed endless conduit inwhich a treating chamber, an airpropeller, and means for heating the airare arranged in a series so that the air used for treating may becirculated repeatedly throu h the treating chamber and heated repeatedlywithout much loss of heat while returning from the discharge side of thetreating chamber to the inlet side thereof.

As a result of many and various tests from which the illustratedapparatus has been evolved it has been demonstrated that the mostsatisfactory results, as to both dryness and friability of the leather,are possible in from two to six minutes of treatment, according to theinitial condition of the leather. This rapidity of conditioning is madepossible by precipitating the air Hit) ' cluding a battle against theshoe-bottoms instead of depending upon radiant heat. The process ofevaporation is so rapid that a moderate temperature in the air used issuflicient. Even the toasting treatment hereinbefore mentioned isaccomplished satisfactorily when the treatin air has a temperature of140 F. which insures the safety of the shoes against burning and is muchmore economical than a heater of the radiant type capable of drying andtoasting the shces in an equal space of time.

Consistently with the foregoing, this invention comprises also a novelmethod of making shoes, which consists in directing a current of heatedair against a surface of a shoe long enough to dry said surface,discontinuing that treatment before its effect has penetrated into thematerial under the surface, and operating on said surface before it haslost any substantial degree of dryness reduced by said current of heateda1r.

Ot er objects and features of the invention are hereinafter describedand claimed and are illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a vertical cross-section of a treating apparatusembodying what I now consider the preferred form for the particularpurpose specified;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of portions of the bottom wall of one of thetreating chambers, illustrating the receiving port and.in-

late ada ted to equalize the distribution 0 the treating air; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the lower portion of the apparatusin a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1.

As shown by Fig. 1, the upper part of the apparatus is broken out andthe top section thereof laced lower than it would actually be, mere y toermit a suitable scale of drawing. It maye stated further that theillustrated apparatus comprises two superposed treating chambers andthat the treating air passes directly from the lower chamber into theupper chamber through a port in the bottom of the latter.

The lower treating chamber 10 and the upper treating chamber 11 occupyserial relation in a substantially closed endless conduit including asupply trunk 12 and a return trunk 13. The casing 14 of an airpropeller15 couples the return trunk with a portion 16 of the supply trunk inwhich a plurality of independently controllable electrical heating units17 are located. The treating chambers are elongated horizontally so thateach may accommodate a row of shoes arranged side by side, theillustrated apparatus bein designed to accommodate from ten to twe veshoes in each row. The lower treating chamber is provided with areceiving port 18 through which the air passes from the supply trunk.The upper treating chamber has a receiving ort 19 in its bottom wall,said port forming direct communication between the two chambers. Theseorts 18, 19 are preferabl coextensive with t e width or greatestdimension of the treating chambers, but are relatively narrow so thatthe air passing through them will rise in the form of a sheet. Thecourse traversed by the air beginning at the proeller is as follows:propeller casing 14, heating chamber 16, supply trunk 12, treatingchambers 10, 11, and return trunk 13. The capacity of the port 18 andthat of the return trunk are preferably equal, although inequality inthis particular would do no serious harm because the propeller could notdeliver any more air into the chamber 10 than it draws from the chamber11, nor could it draw more from the latter than it delivers into theformer.

The foregoing elements are preferabl enclosed in a casing comprising atop wall 20, vertical side walls 21. 21, a back wall 22, o lpositelyinclined walls 23, 23 forming t e ottom of the supply trunk and returntrunk, side walls 24, 24 adjoining the walls 22, 23, 23, a wall 25forming the front of the supply trunk and enclosin the heating chamber,and a bottom wall oriase 26. The walls 20, 21, 21, 22, 23, 23, 24, 24,and 25 are represented as being made of heat-insulating material,although the latter as shown is encased in sheet metal for protection.The front walls of the treating chambers comprise slashed curtains 27attached at their upper edges to horizontal frame ieces 28 by bars 29.Each treating chamer is open at its front throughout its entire .widthor length excepting as it is closed by its curtain 27. The curtain maybe continuous along its upper edge or it may comprise a series ofseparate sections attached in continuous relation to each other, theprincipal consideration being that these relatively movable elements ofwhich the curtain is made will automatically close the treating chamberfrom the outside air when the shoes are removed, and also closeautomatically around and conform substantially to the shoes when thelatter are arranged to intersect the curtain as shown in Fig. 1. Thesecurtains may be made of various materials provided they are flexibleenough to be displaced by the shoes without injuring the latter butsufficiently heavy and firm to return to a substantially verticalposition without being displaced. Imitation leather made of woven andcoated fabric has been found to be satisfactory. The treating chambersare separated from the return trunk 13 b a partition 30, while thereceiving end of tie return trunk, or the discharge port of the chamber11, however it may be regarded, is formed by the walls 20, 21, 21

and a horizontal frame member 31. It is apparent that the walls ofheat-insulating material that enclose the treating chambers also enclosethe return trunk. The width of the upper part of the return trunk iscoextensive with the width of the treating chamhers, but since theinclined walls 23 and the upright side walls 24 reduce the width of thereturn trunk the latter is given greater thickness in its lower part 131to compensate for the reduction in width and to main tain substantiallyuniform capacity for flow back to the air-propeller.

The propeller 15 is carried by the armature shaft 32 of an electricmotor 33, the latter being preferably outside the air circuit so as notto be heated by the air circulated therein. The electrical conductors 34for the heating units 17 are preferably controlled so as to switch theunits into and out of circuit independently of each other.

i The illustrated apparatus includes a threeill way switch 35 by whichsuch independent control is provided. Referring to Fig. 3, the heatedair is delivered into the supply trunk 12 midway between the ends of thelatter, but since it is desirable to equalize the distribution of theair throughout the length of the port 18 the supply trunk is taperedfrom its mid-portion to each of its ends by the inclined arran ement ofthe walls 23. Furthermore a baffle plate 36 is arranged under the port18 and is formed to promote equalization. This plate as shown rests in alurality of hangers 37 suspended from the ottom of the chamber 10. Theplan contour of this bathe plate is shown by Fig. 2. The plate isrelatively narrow at its mid-portion and has gradually increasing widthtoward its ends, the mid-portion being slightly wider than the port 18.A baflie plate formed as shown is better adapted to equalize thedistribution of air than one of uniform width since the deflection isrelatively great midway between the ends of the supply trunk andgradually less as the air progresses toward the ends of the trunk. Inother words the flow of air from the heating chamber is almost entirelyvertical in the middle but becomes more nearly horizontal as it spreadstoward the ends of the trunk.

The front of the outside casing is provided with L-shaped angle-irons 38each extending entirely across the casing and forming a shelf on whichthe heels of the shoes may rest while the foreparts are in the treatingchambers as shown. Vertical flanges 39 are arranged to be engaged by thebreasts of the heels to register the shoes so that their ball portionswill be in registration with the ports through which the heated airrises. The chambers are provided with supports 40, such as grids orsheets of coarse wire fabric, to support the foreparts of the shoesabove but adjacent to the ports so that the tions toward the ends of theshoes. These sheets are preferably arched and reinforced by supportingbars 41 the ends of which are fastened to the side walls 21.

When the air is propelled with considerable velocity and is heated to atemperature of approximately 140 F. the bottom surfaces of the soles aredried and toasted very rapidly, that is, in from one to five minutesdepending u on the quantity of moisture in the soles and the kind ofleather of which the soles are made. If, instead of precipitating theair forcibly against the bottoms of the soles, the air were permitted toremain substantially still, a much longer period of time would be'required to dry the soles sufficiently for buffing and the toastingeffect could not be produced without increasing the temperature of theradiant heat to a degree that would be injurious to the shoes, but whenthe heated air is precipitated with high velocity against the bottoms ofthe soles it dries and toasts the bottoms very rapidly but does not acton any other part of the shoe with appreciable effect because it doesnot strike any other part of the shoe directly. The drying effect of theair and the toasting effect of the heated air are therefore localized onthe bottoms of the soles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a substantiallyclosed aircircuit and including an air-propeller and a treating chamberin series, and heating means in said circuit, one wall of said chamberhaving relatively separable wall-forming elements between which the workmay be inserted for treatment, said elements being constructed andarranged to close automati cally.

2. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a substantiallyclosed aircircuit and including an air-propeller and a treating chamberin series, and heating means in said circuit, said chamber having a wallcomprising a slashed curtain through the slashes of which shoes may beinserted for treatment.

3. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a horizontallyelongated treating chamber having a relatively narrow but elongatedinlet port in its bottom wall, means for supplying heated air at highvelocity through said port, and means constructed and arranged tosupport a ser es of shoes side by side with their ball portions in saidchamber and in registration with but separate from said port so that theair entering through the latter will impinge directly against the ballportions and be deflected thereby toward the ends of the shoes.

4. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a conduit andincluding a plurality of treating chambers arranged in series one aboveanother, each of said chambers having an inlet port in its bottom Wall,means for causing an upward flow of air through said ports and chamberssuccessively. and means for supportin shoes in said chambers fortreatment adjacent to said ports so that said air will impinge directlyagainst the bottoms of the soles.

5. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a horizontallyelongated treating chamber the bottom wall of which has a horizontallyelongated receiving port, an air-trunk under said chamber andcoextensive with said port, means arranged to supply a current of air tosaid trunk substantially midway of its ends, said trunk tapering fromits middle portion to each of its end portions, and bathe-meansconstructed and arranged to control the flow'of air through said trunkso that the flow through said port will be substantially equal at allpoints of the latter.

6. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising a casing having outer walls andpartitions constructed and arranged to form a substantially closedendless conduit including a supply trunk, a treating chamber and areturn trunk in series, means arranged in said conduit to propel airtherethrough, and means for heating the air in said conduit, those ofsaid outer Walls that enclose said supply trunk and return trunkcomprising heat-insulating material.

7. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means for projecting a currentof hot dry air in the form of a sheet, and means constructed andarranged to support a series of shoes side by side so that their ballportions intersect such sheet and receive the iiripact of the hot air onthe bottoms of the so es.

8. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming a substantiallyclosed endless conduit including a treating chamber, heating means insaid conduit, means arranged to propel the air in said conduit so as tocirculate the air repeatedly through said chamber at high velocity, andmeans arranged to support one or more shoes for treatment in saidchamber so that said air will im inge directly against the bottoms ofthe so es.

9. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising work-enclosing means having aport in the bottom for supplying air and a port at or near the top fordischarging said air, means forming an air-tight return conduit fromsaid discharge port to said supply port, heating means andair-propelling means arranged in said return conduit, and means arrangedto support shoes in said workenclosing means so that said air willimpilnge directly against the bottoms of the so es.

10. That method of making shoes which consists in directing a swiftlymoving cur rent of hot dry air against the bottom of the sole until saidbottom is rendered relatively dry, hard and friable, separating the shoeand said current of air before the latter has substantially altered theinterior of the sole with respect to durability or friability, andbuiiing said bottom before it has lost any substantial degree of itsdryness or friability after being treated as aforesaid.

11. A shoetreatin apparatus comprisin means forming a iorizontallyelongated treating chamber the bottom wall of which has a horizontallyelongated receiving port, an air-trunk under said chamber andcoextensive with said port, means arranged to supply a current of air tosaid trunk substantially midway of its ends, and battlemeans constructedand arranged to control the flow of air through said trunk so that theHow through said port will be substantially equal at all points of thelatter.

12. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising a casing having heat-insulatingmaterial in its walls, partitions arranged in said casing so as to form,conjointly with said walls, an endless conduit, means arranged tocirculate the air in said conduit, means arranged to heat said air, andmeans arranged to support an article of work in said conduit fortreatment, said.casing having a. work-receiving opening and a movableclosure therefor.

13. A shoe-treating apparatus comprisin means forming a treating chamberan having an inlet at the bottom for air and an outlet for said air,means for supporting one or more shoes in said chamber in re 'strationwith said inlet, means for drawing air from said outlet and returning itto said chamber through said inlet, and means for heating said air.

14. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming an endlessconduit includin a series of treating chambers one 'atop 0 another,means for propelling the air in said conduit so as to cause it to flowthrou h said chambers successively and repeated y, and means for heatingsaid air.

15. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming an air-circuitand including a treating chamber for one or more shoes, means forcirculating air through said circuit, means for heatin the air, andmeans for supporting a plura ity of shoes adjacent to the air inlet tosaid chamber to concentrate the treatment by the air at certain areas ofthe shoes. i

16. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means forming anair-circuit'and including a. treating chamber, means for supportingaround intermediate portions of the shoes,

and means for circulating air through said circuit to treat thoseportions of the shoes that occupy said chamber.

17. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising heating means, a casingtherefor .having a horizontally elongated outlet port in the top abovesaid heating means, and means arranged to support a series of shoes sideby side with their soles overlying said port.

18. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means arranged to support aseries of shoes side by side with their bottoms exposed for treatment,heating means arranged under the shoe space, and means formed to permitheated air to rise from said heating means to the shoes and arranged todistribute said airso that it will act substantially uniformly on thebottoms of all the shoes in the series.

19. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising shoe-supporting means includinga grid for supporting a series of shoes side by side, heat-radiatingmeans arranged under said grid, and means arranged to concentrate theheat at certain areas of the soles of all the shoes in the series.

20. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising a plurality of structuresarranged one above another and each designed to support a series ofshoes side by side, heat-radiating means arranged under the lower one ofsaid structures, and means for distributing the heat substantiallyuniformly to the bottoms of all the shoes in each of the series.

21. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising heating means, means forsupporting a series of shoes side by side over said heating means sothat heated air rising from the latter will act on their soles, andmeans for concentrating the heated air at the ball portions of thesoles.

22. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means for supporting a seriesof shoes side by side with their soles exposed to an updraft of air,means forming a heat-chamber under the shoe space, and heating means insaid chamber, the top wall of said heatchamber having a narrow outletport for emitting heated air directly against the ball portions of allthe shoes in the series.

23. That method of making shoes which consists in propelling heated airagainst the bottom of the sole of a shoe until the surface of saidbottom is rendered relativel dry and friable, and hufiing said surfacebefore it has lost any substantial degree of its dryness or friabilityafter being treated as aforesaid.

24. That method of making shoes which consists in propelling heated airagainst a surface of a shoe until said surface is rendered relativelydry, discontinuing such treatment bef re the latter has substantiallyaltered the condition of the material under said; surface, and operatingon said surface before it has lost any substantial degree of drynesseffected by such treatment.

25. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inpropelling air against the bottom of the sole of a shoe to removemoisture from the surface of the sole, simultaneously heating saidsurfaceto render it abnormally hard and friable, discontinuing suchtreatments in time to avoid impairing the condition of the materialunder said surface, and bufiing said surface before the residue ofmoisture in the sole comes to the surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ROSWELL DAVIS.

one or more shoes partly inside and partly outside an external Wall ofsaid chamber, said Wall being constructed to form a closure aroundintermediate portions of the shoes and means for circulating air throughsai circuit to treat those portions of the shoes that occupy saidchamber.

17. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising heating means, a casingtherefor having a horizontally elongated outlet port in the top abovesaid heating means, and means arranged to support a series of shoes sideby side with their soles overlying said port.

18. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means arranged to support aseries of shoes side by side with their bottoms exposed for treatment,heating means arranged under the shoe space, and means formed to permitheated air to rise from said heating means to the shoes and arranged todistribute said airso that it will act substantially uniformly on thebottoms of all the shoes in the series.

19. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising shoe-supporting means includinga grid for supporting a series of shoes side by side, heat-radiatingmeans arranged under said grid, and means arranged to concentrate theheat at certain areas of the soles of all the shoes in the series.

20. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising a plurality of structuresarranged one above another and each designed to support a series ofshoes side by side, heat-radiating means arranged under the lower one ofsaid structures, and means for distributing the heat substantiallyuniformly to the bottoms of all the shoes in each of the series.

21. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising heating means, means forsupporting a series of shoes side by side over said heating means sothat heated air rising from the latter will act on their soles, andmeans for concentrating the heated air at the ball portions of thesoles.

22. A shoe-treating apparatus comprising means for supporting a seriesof shoes side by side with their soles exposed to an up draft of air,means forming a heat-chamber under the shoe space, and heating means insaid chamber, the top Wall of said heatchamber having a narrow outletport for emitting heated air directly against the ball portions of allthe shoes in the series.

23. That method of making shoes which consists in propelling heated airagainst the bottom of the sole of a shoe until the surface of saidbottom is rendered relativel dry and friable, and lending said surfaceefore it has lost any substantial degree of its dry- 11283 or friabilityafter being treated as aforesai 24. That method of making shoes whichconsists in propelling heated air against a surface of a shoeuntil saidsurface is rendered relatively dry, discontinuing such treatment bef rrethe latter has substantially altered the condition of the material undersaid surface, and operating on said surface before it has lost anysubstantial degree of dryness effected by such treatment.

25. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inpropelling air against the bottom of the sole of a shoe to removemoisture from the surface of the sole, simultaneously heating saidsurface to render it abnormally hard and friable, discontinuing suchtreatments in time to avoid impairing the condition of the materialunder said surface, and bufiing said surface before the residue ofmoisture in the sole comes to the surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ROSWELL DAVIS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. l, 647, 277.

Granted November l, 1927, to

' ROSWELL DAVIS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,line 109, for the word "continuous" read "contiguous"; and that the saidLetters Patents should be read with this correction therein that thesame may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed andsealed this 5th day'of I'm, A. n. 1928.

2 M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Iatents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,647,277. Granted November l, 1927, to

ROSWELL DAVIS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2.line 109, for the word "continuous" read "contiguous"; and that the saidLettersPatents should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed andsealed this 5th day-of June, A. D. 1928.

7 M. J. Moore, 7 (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

